The invention relates to a method for treating disc-shaped registration carriers, wherein said registration carriers are moved in steps in a predetermined path of movement along a plurality of processing stations, in each of which the registration carriers are subjected to a certain processing step.
The term registration carriers is understood to mean sound and/or picture carriers and/or data carriers and the like, for example so-called compact discs, as well as carriers which can be processed at a later stage in order for sound, pictures or other data to be registered to be recorded thereon.
A method of the above kind can be derived from prior Dutch Patent Application 9201065, whose contents are considered to be incorporated herein by this reference. As described in said patent application the registration carriers are thereby taken to various stations along a predetermined path, whereby a processing step is carried out in at least a number of said stations, such as for example the application of an amount of paint, the even spreading of the paint over the registration carrier surface, the curing and/or drying of the paint, the checking of the registration carrier, etc.
In many cases it is also desirable to provide a print on every registration carrier, which print may for example give information with regard to the sound and/or picture and/or information recorded on the registration carrier. To an increasing extent a multicolor print is being requested thereby.
From European Patent Application 0528106 a method is known for treating registration carriers, for printing said registration carriers, whereby the registration carriers are supplied to a rotary table, by means of which the registration carriers are moved past a few stations, in each of which a screen-printing machine is disposed, by means of which a print of a certain color is put on the registration carrier. This putting on of several colors in several steps is time-consuming and furthermore requires a specialized and voluminous arrangement, which is exclusively suitable for providing a color print.
From Patent Abstracts of Japan Vol. 13. No. 580(P980), 21st Dec. 1989, a device for printing optical discs can be derived. This device comprises a table which is rotatable about a vertical axis of rotation, to which table the optical discs are supplied in succession and by means of which the optical discs present on the rotary table are moved in steps. The device is provided with means for putting four differently colored inks on the optical discs. Said means are constructed in such a manner, that each color is put on the disc in question in a different station. It will be apparent that also this method is time-consuming and likewise requires a complicated construction of the device. In connection with the pursuit of a higher productivity short operating cycles are required, however, whereby it is preferred to use the simplest possible equipment, in order to be able to prevent failures and the concomitant loss of time as much as possible.